Finding fīlmfārsī: Reevaluations of Pre-Revolutionary Iranian Cinema

This article reviews two books: Pedram Partovi\u27s Popular Iranian Cinema before the Revolution: Family and Nation in Filmfārsī, and Golbar Rekabtalaei, Iranian Cosmopolitanism: A Cinematic History

Annual Reports

This section contains the annual reports of the Society’s president, William A. Sherman, the executive director, Wilbur T. Holmes, and the curator of manuscripts, Gladys E. Bolhouse

The Subduction experiment : cruise report RRS Charles Darwin cruise number 73 subduction 3 mooring deployment and recovery cruise, 30 September-26 October 1992

Subduction is the mechanism by which water masses formed in the mixed layer and near the surface of the ocean find their way into the upper thermocline. The subduction process and its underlying mechanisms were studied through a combination of Eulerian and Langrangian measurements of velocity, measurements of tracer distrbutions and hydrographic properties and modeling. An array of five surface moorings carrying meteorological and oceanographic instrumentation were deployed for a period of two years beginning in June 1991 as part of an Office of Naval Research (ONR) funded Subduction experiment. Three eight month deployments were planned. The moorings were deployed at 18°N 34°W, 18°N 22°W, 25.5°N 29°W, 33°N 22°W and 33°N 34°W. A Vector Averaging Wind Recorder (VAWR) and an Improved Meteorological Recorder (IMET) collected wind speed and wind direction, sea surface temperature, air temperature, short wave radiation, barometric pressure and relative humidity. The IMET also measured precipitation. The moorings were heavily instrumented below the surface with Vector Measuring Current Meters (VMCM), and single point temperature recorders. Expendable bathythermograph (XBT) data were collected and meteorological observations were made while transitting between mooring locations. In addition a series of 59 cm stations were made and water samples taken to be analyzed for tritium levels, salinity and dissolved oxygen content. This report describes the work that took place during RRS Charles Darwin cruise number 73 which was the third scheduled Subduction mooring cruise. During this cruise the second setting of the moorings were recovered and redeployed for a third eight month period. This report includes a description of the instrumentation that was deployed and recovered, has information about the underway measurements (XBT and meteorological observations) that were made including plots of the data, includes a description of the work conducted in conjunction with the tracer/hydrography program and presents a chronology of the cruise events.Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under contract N00014-90-J-1490

The Interaction of Calcium and Metabolic Oscillations in Pancreatic β-cells

Diabetes is a disease characterized by an excessive level of glucose in the bloodstream, which may be a result of improper insulin secretion. Insulin is secreted in a bursting behavior of pancreatic $\beta$-cells in islets, which is affected by oscillations of cytosolic calcium concentration. We used the Dual Oscillator Model to explore the role of calcium in calcium oscillation independent and calcium oscillation dependent modes and the synchronization of metabolic oscillations in electrically coupled $\beta$-cells. We implemented a synchronization index in order to better measure the synchronization of the $\beta$-cells within an islet and we studied heterogeneous modes of coupled $\beta$-cells. We saw that increasing calcium coupling or voltage coupling in heterogeneous cases increases synchronization; however, in certain cases increasing both voltage and calcium coupling causes desynchronization. To better represent an islet, we altered previous code to allow for a greater number of cells to be simulated

Characteristics of patients with chronic back pain who benefit from acupuncture

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although many clinicians believe there are clinically important subgroups of persons with "non-specific" low back pain, such subgroups have not yet been clearly identified. As part of a large trial evaluating acupuncture for chronic low back pain, we sought to identify subgroups of participants that were particularly responsive to acupuncture.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a secondary analysis of data for the 638 participants in our clinical trial comparing different types of acupuncture to usual care to identify baseline characteristics that predicted responses to individualized, standardized, or simulated acupuncture treatments. After identifying factors that predicted improvements in back-related function or symptoms, we determined if these factors were more likely to predict improvement for those receiving the acupuncture treatments than for those receiving usual care. This was accomplished by testing for an interaction between the prognostic factors and treatment group in four models: functional outcomes (measured by the Roland-Morris Disability Scale) at 8 and 52 weeks post-randomization and symptom outcomes (measured with a numerical rating scale) at 8 and 52 weeks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, the strongest predictors of improvement in back function and symptoms were higher baseline levels of these measures, receipt of an acupuncture treatment, and non-use of narcotic analgesics. Benefit from acupuncture compared to usual care was greater with worse pre-treatment levels of back dysfunction (interaction p < 0.004 for the functional outcome, Roland Morris Disability Scale at 8 weeks). No other consistent interactions were observed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This secondary analysis found little evidence for the existence of subgroups of patients with chronic back pain that would be especially likely to benefit from acupuncture. However, persons with chronic low back pain who had more severe baseline dysfunction had the most short-term benefit from acupuncture.</p

PCCR: Pancreatic Cancer Collaborative Registry

The Pancreatic Cancer Collaborative Registry (PCCR) is a multi-institutional web-based system aimed to collect a variety of data on pancreatic cancer patients and high-risk subjects in a standard and efficient way. The PCCR was initiated by a group of experts in medical oncology, gastroenterology, genetics, pathology, epidemiology, nutrition, and computer science with the goal of facilitating rapid and uniform collection of critical information and biological samples to be used in developing diagnostic, prevention and treatment strategies against pancreatic cancer. The PCCR is a multi-tier web application that utilizes Java/JSP technology and has Oracle 10 g database as a back-end. The PCCR uses a “confederation model” that encourages participation of any interested center, irrespective of its size or location. The PCCR utilizes a standardized approach to data collection and reporting, and uses extensive validation procedures to prevent entering erroneous data. The PCCR controlled vocabulary is harmonized with the NCI Thesaurus (NCIt) or Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT). The PCCR questionnaire has accommodated standards accepted in cancer research and healthcare. Currently, seven cancer centers in the USA, as well as one center in Italy are participating in the PCCR. At present, the PCCR database contains data on more than 2,700 subjects (PC patients and individuals at high risk of getting this disease). The PCCR has been certified by the NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology as a cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG®) Bronze Compatible product. The PCCR provides a foundation for collaborative PC research. It has all the necessary prerequisites for subsequent evolution of the developed infrastructure from simply gathering PC-related data into a biomedical computing platform vital for successful PC studies, care and treatment. Studies utilizing data collected in the PCCR may engender new approaches to disease prognosis, risk factor assessment, and therapeutic interventions